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Saturday, December 28, 2013

The Top 3 Highlights of 2013, According to Alyssa Dempsey

>> 2013 saw a lot in terms of bands going the extra mile for
fans, and receiving sincere support in return (in most cases). With marketing
techniques getting more creative and the internet continuing to decrease the
fan-musician barrier, this year has shown us that there is always room to grow
in an industry that is often dismissed as “dying.” Here are a few of the top
highlights from 2013:

Whether you’re a Fall Out Boy fan
or not, it’s hard to deny that their reunion was a major highlight of 2013.
Only a few unconfirmed rumors preceded the announcement, and when the band did
jump back onto the scene, it was with a seriously planned flourish. 2013 saw
FOB release Save Rock and Roll, in
addition to the less-poppy Pax Am Days.
The band killed it with live gigs, performing on a number of TV shows as well
as playing huge festival slots and a headlining tour. I’m even gonna go ahead
and draw a parallel to Queen Bey with their tactic of springing new material
suddenly on fans and making a video for every song on their new record. All in
all, a well-planned return to the spotlight.

Take away: Fall Out Boy’s back and they did it right.

TWY 4 in 24

The WonderYears made a bet this year that they could beat Hopeless label-mates All Time
Low’s record of three shows in a day with four in 24 hours. And although it
technically wasn’t successful, it was pretty impressive. #TWY4in24 worked as
part of a promotion for the realist pop punk group’s newest full length, The Greatest Generation, which debuted
in May. This mini-tour was accompanied by a Philly pop-up shop and streaming pre-release
singles that crashed Altpress.com. The 4 shows in 24 hours were remarkable not only
for the novelty, but also for the fact that the whole band gave their highest
amount of energy at each performance, despite what must have been a pretty
grueling 24 hours. The quick-selling nature and odd timing of some of the shows,
with one at 10am and another at 2am, speaks volumes for The Wonder Years’ solid
fan base.

Take away: TWY is here to stay and they’re only getting
bigger and better.

Brand New Full Discography Shows

This is
pretty recent for a top highlight of 2013, but it still deserves a spot. Back
in November, Brand New announced full discography shows where they would play
two of their four albums at each date. The shows sold out within seconds and
immediately sparked frustration among the fan base due to trouble with
scalpers. The drama only continued with something of an uproar at the first
Long Island date when the rockers chose to play The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me and Daisy. Many fans felt as though they had been ripped off in some
way for not getting to hear the more popular records, Your Favorite Weapon and Deja
Entendu. This sparked anger on both sides, with disappointed attendees and
fans who felt that the crowd reaction was immature, to say the least. I was
lucky enough to attend the New Jersey date where they played the first two, and
I’ll say it was an absolutely incredible experience. Despite the drama that
seems to surround this band, we’ve been lucky enough to see a resurgence in
live shows, and hopefully that continues.

Take away: People love to complain, but Brand New is still
killin’ it.